Coca Cola Hellenic Leaving Greece

Coca-Cola’s second biggest bottler worldwide said on Thursday it was moving its headquarters from Greece to Switzerland and looking to establish a listing on the London stock exchange.

With the move, the company joins other businesses based in Greece that have chosen other shores after five years of recession and amid fears that Athens could leave the eurozone.

For the move, Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling (CCHBC), one of the largest bottlers of non-alcoholic beverages in Europe, said it would swap shares with Swiss-based Coca-Cola HBC AG, a newly-formed company.

In a statement earlier, Coca Cola Hellenic said the move would improve access to equity and debt capital markets and increase its flexibility in raising new funds.

Along with a stocks listing in London, Coca Cola Hellenic said that it will apply for a parallel listing on the Athens stock exchange.

On Wednesday, the prominent dairy company Fage, a major exporter, said it was moving its headquarters to Luxembourg “to better reflect the increasingly global character of its activities.”

Coca Cola Hellenic in August announced a 13-percent net profit drop to 127.8 million euros ($165.3 million) in the second quarter.